Sarfaraz Khan Replaces Injured Sai Sudharsan in India's Test Squad for Sri Lanka Series

India have named middle-order batter Sarfaraz Khan as the replacement for injured Sai Sudharsan for the upcoming two-match Test series against Sri Lanka.

Sudharsan has been ruled out of the series after suffering a right toe stress reaction. The batter has been undergoing rehabilitation at the BCCI Centre of Excellence (CoE) in Bengaluru and has made significant progress in his recovery, according to the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI).

Sarfaraz, meanwhile, returns to India's Test squad after nearly two years. The 27-year-old last played a Test in 2024, the same year he made his international debut. He has featured in six Tests so far, scoring 371 runs at the highest level, including one century and three half-centuries.

He was part of India's squad for the 2024-25 tour of Australia but did not feature in a match. He was subsequently left out of the squad for India's Test tour of England last year.

Sarfaraz's domestic record remains impressive. He was Mumbai's third-highest run-scorer during the 2025 Ranji Trophy season, accumulating 429 runs in seven matches at an average of 53.62. His first-class batting average of 64.73 remains among the best for players with at least 50 innings.

Gill Declared Fit for First Test

India have also received a positive update regarding captain Shubman Gill, who missed India's first innings in the tour game against Sri Lanka Cricket XI.

Gill's absence was described as a precautionary measure by India's spin-bowling coach Sairaj Bahutule. The captain returned to the crease in the second innings and scored a fluent 44 off 54 deliveries, helping India complete the chase on the final day.

"Gill has been absolutely fine and he's been training," Bahutule said after the tour game. "The management decided we could take the precaution of not putting him in on the first day. The way he batted in the second innings was flawless and he's very much ready for the Test match."

The update will come as a boost to India, who have already suffered several injury setbacks ahead of the Sri Lanka series. Jasprit Bumrah and Washington Sundar are among the key players ruled out of the tour.

Test Series to Begin in Galle

The two-match Test series between India and Sri Lanka will begin on August 15 in Galle, with the second Test scheduled to start on August 23 at the Sinhalese Sports Club (SSC) in Colombo.

The series will form part of the World Test Championship (WTC). India currently occupy fifth place in the WTC standings after recording four wins and four losses from nine matches.

With Sudharsan unavailable, Sarfaraz's return provides India with another middle-order option as they prepare for the challenging conditions in Sri Lanka.

India's Test Squad

Shubman Gill (captain), KL Rahul, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Rishabh Pant (wicketkeeper), Dhruv Jurel (wicketkeeper), Ravindra Jadeja, Kuldeep Yadav, Manav Suthar, Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna, Gurnoor Brar, Devdutt Padikkal, Saransh Jain, Auqib Nabi, Sarfaraz Khan.